Sightins for Saturday August 22nd

Longue-Rive: baie des milles vaches (bay) on rte 138 and on the road to pointe à Boisvert the shorebirds were very numerous: 400 Black bellied plovers, 10 semipalmated plovers, 1 Killdeer, 6 Lesser yellowlegs, 60 Ruddy turnstones, 45 Red knots, 1800 Semipalmated sandpipers, 300 White-rumped sandpipers, 200 Sanderlings, 1 Bairds sandpiper
à marée montante et les limicoles étaient vraiment nombreux surtout dans la baie des milles vaches sur le bord 138 et sur le chemin de la pointe à Boisvert: 400 Pluviers argents, 10 Pluvier semipalmé, 1 Pluvier kildir, 6 Petits Chevaliers, 60 Tournepierres à collier, 45 Bécasseaux maubèches, 1800 Bécasseaux semipalmés, 300 Bécasseaux à croupion blanc, 200 Bécasseaux sanderling, 1 Bécasseau de Baird - Samuel Denault

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #9 Report

We brougth this year's Summer Series of Birding to an end today at Ile-de-la-Visitation in Montreal with guest leader Joel Coutu. 18 birders turnout out for a hot and humid walk along the numerous trails throughout the park and along the Riviere des Prairies shore. The dominant sound of the day was, no doubt, the constant song of hundreds and hundreds of cicadas.

Given the heat and humidity, bird life was mostly laying low in the trees trying to stay cool. However we managed to come up with a total of 35 species for the morning. Earlier in the week, Joel had spotted a Black-billed Cuckoo in the park, so all eyes were scanning the trees for this bird today. Joel believed that he may have caught a glimpse of the bird in the same location today, but we were unable to locate it again for a better view.

Our thanks to Joel for leading the trip today and for his expert knowledge of the park and its inhabitants.

I will be preparing a full summary of our 9 Summer Series outings in time for the next Song Sparrow newsletter. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who came out to participate in this year's edition of the Summer Series of Birding. We had some great days, with great birds and fun times.

Now, on to the list of today's species.

1 Canada Goose Bernache du Canada, 1 American Black Duck Canard noir, 16 Mallard Canard colvert, 1 Wood Duck Canard branchu, 2 Double-crested Cormorant Cormoran à aigrettes, 5 Great Blue Heron Grand Héron, 2 Black-crowned Night-Heron Bihoreau gris, 1 Spotted Sandpiper Chevalier grivelé, 200 Ring-billed Gull Goéland à bec cerclé, 4 Great Black-backed Gull Goéland marin, 24 Rock Pigeon Pigeon biset, Black-billed Cuckoo Coulicou à bec noir (probable), 2 Belted Kingfisher Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique, 2 Downy Woodpecker Pic mineur, 6 Northern Flicker Pic flamboyant, 1 Great Crested Flycatcher Tyran huppé, Flycatcher (sp) Moucherolle (espèces), 2 Eastern Warbling-Vireo Viréo mélodieux, 12 Red-eyed Vireo Viréo aux yeux rouges, 1 Blue Jay Geai bleu, 4 American Crow Corneille d'Amérique, 1 Barn Swallow Hirondelle rustique, 12 Black-capped Chickadee Mésange à tête noire, 3 White-breasted Nuthatch Sittelle à poitrine blanche, 14 American Robin Merle d'Amérique, 6 Cedar Waxwing Jaseur d'Amérique, 2 Yellow Warbler Paruline jaune, 1 Blackburnian Warble Paruline à gorge orange, 1 Ovenbird Paruline couronnée, 1 Song Sparrow Bruant chanteur, 10 Northern Cardinal Cardinal rouge, 30 Common Grackle Quiscale bronze, 2 Baltimore Oriole Oriole de Baltimore, 6 American Goldfinch Chardonneret jaune, 6 House Sparrow Moineau domestique

A Cockatiel was also heard and seen in a tree beside on of the paths

Sightings for Friday August 21st

Irlande, Étang Stater (pond): Little blue heron was seen again this afternoon. The pond is situated on rte 165 about half-way between Black-Lake & St-Ferdinand in the municipality of Irlande. There is also an observation tower to view the pond.
Aigrette bleue était encore présente ce midi à l'Étang Stater dans la municipalité d'Irlande et non de St-Ferdinand comme plusieurs le mentionne. Le projet de l'Étang Stater appartient à la municipalité d'Irlande, la municipalité dans laquelle je vis et dont je suis fier de cette réalisation entre autre - Benoît Lemay - Cet étang se situe sur la route 165, à mi-chemin entre Black-Lake et St-Ferdinand, dans la municipalité de campagne d'Irlande. Il y a une tour d'observation de deux étages avec une vue sur l'étang

Pointe-des-Cascades: 3 Caspian terns, 1 Canada warbler, Cedar waxwings, Bluejays, Baltimore oriole, Great-crested flycatcher (imm)
3 sternes caspiennes, 1 paruline du Canada, de nombreux jaseurs d’Amérique et geais bleu ainsi qu’un oriole du Nord et un tyran huppé immature. - René Lortie

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #9 - Saturday, August 22

We will wrap up this year's Summer Series by visiting Ile-de-la-Visitation Nature Park in north-central Montreal, in the Ahuntsic sector of the city. We are very pleased to have a special guest leader for the trip this week, Mr. Joel Coutu. Joel does a lot of birding in this park and is most familiar with the hot birding spots in the park.

DATE: Saturday, August 22, 2009
TIME: 8:00 AM – Half-day outing; walking trip

MEETING PLACE: The parking lot of the park at 2425 Gouin Blvd. East, at the corner of Gouin Blvd and rue de Lille.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Take Highway 40 East to Exit 74-Papineau Ave. Take Papineau north to Henri-Bourassa. Turn right (east) on Henri-Bourassa and travel approximately 8 blocks to Rue de Lille. Turn left (north) on to Rue de Lille, turn right (east) on to Gouin Blvd. The entrance to the parking lot is on the left. Parking: $7.00. If you have the Montreal Parks parking pass used at Ile Bizard/Cap St.Jacques/Bois-de-Liesse, etc., it can be used here. There are also free parking
spots available on rue de Lille or av. Bruchesi just outside the parking lot.

Access by public transport: From Henri-Bourassa Metro station, take Bus #69-Gouin Blvd. east to the corner of Henri-Bourassa and Rue de Lille. Walk north on Rue de Lille to park entrance at Gouin Blvd.

ITINERARY: This is a large park with many walking trails, a number of which offer observation points along the Riviere des Prairies waterfront. I have included a link below to the city of Montreal's page on the park, as well as a link to a detailed map of the park.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. If you need to reach me on Saturday morning, please call the BPQ cell at 514-637-2141.

LINKS
City of Montreal page on L'Ile de la Visitation Nature Park
http://tinyurl.com/32tqbj

Map of the park
http://tinyurl.com/39dwje

Escoumins: Black-headed gull and a Little gull were present behind the fisherie. A Red-necked grebe was at the end of rue des Pilotes
Mouette rieuse adulte et une Mouette pygmée étaient toujours présentes en
arrière de la poissonnerie à marée haute aux Escoumins. Un Grèbe jougris un peu
hâtif était présent au bout de la rue des Pilotes - Samuel Denault

Quebec, parc Chauveau: Olive-sided Flycatcher (Moucherolle à côté olive) - Gérard Cyr

Verdun, Île des Soeurs: Carolina wren (heard), Red-shouldered hawk (heard), Osprey, Northern flickers
Troglodyte de Caroline entendu dans le boisé, une Buse à épaulettes criait dans le boisé, Un Balbuzard, 4 Pics flamboyants - 37 espèces- Pierre Bannon

Sightings for Wednesday August 19th

Saint-Ferdinand, Étang Stater (pond)(Irlande): Little blue heron was not seen this morning, although the Great egrets arrived at 7:45. Also observed were 2 Bald eagles (adult), 2 Green herons, 10+ Great blue herons, 10 Black ducks, 4 wood ducks, 50 Canada geese in flight, 50 American crows, 5 ring-billed gulls, 2 Belted kingfishers, 1 American bittern, 5 Black-capped chickadees, 2 Common yellowthroat (f), 2 Swamp sparrows, 1 red-eyed vireo, 1 Red-breasted nuthatch, 3 Cedar waxwings, 1 Veery
Shorebirds were at the sandy point at the other end of the pond: 1 Greater yellowlegs, 2 Lesser yellowlegs, 8 Solitary sandpipers, 2 Pectoral sandpipers, 10 least sandpipers, 4 Semipalmated sandpipers
Ce matin je suis allé à l'étang Slater (Irlande) et je n'y ai pas vu l'aigrette bleue.
Cependant les grandes aigrettes y sont arrivés à 7.45 hres n'y ai observé aussi 2 pygargues à tête blanche adulte, 2 hérons vert, 10 + grands herons, 10 canards noirs, 4 canards branchus, 50 bernaches du Canada en vol, 50 corneilles d'Amérique, 5 goélands à bec cerclé, 2 martins pêcheurs, 1 butor d'Amérique, 5 mésanges à têtes noires, 2 parulines masquées femelles, 2 bruants des marais, 1 viréo aux yeux rouges, 1 sitelle à poitrine rousse, 3 jaseurs d'Amérique, 1 grive fauve
et sur une pointe de sable à l'autre bout de l'étang il y avait des limicoles: 1 grand chevalier, 3 petits chevaliers, 8 chevaliers solitaires, 2 bécasseaux à poitrine cendrée, 10 bécasseaux miniscules, 4 bécasseaux semi-palmés - Alain Sheinck

Sightings for Monday August 17th

parc Pointe des Cascades: Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Pileated woodpecker, Common loon, Caspian terns, Cedar waxwings, Warblers - Yellow, Chestnut-sided, American redstart, Yellow-rumped
1 Gobemoucheron gris-bleu, 2 Grands Pics, 1 Plongeon huard, 3 Sterne caspiennes, 200 Jaseurs d'Amérique, 4 espèces de Parulines (jaune, flancs marron, flaboyante et croupion jaune) Total de 42 espèce - Pierre Bannon

Saint-Ferdinand, Étang Stater (pond) - Little blue heron (imm) the pond is situated on rte 165 about half-way between Black-Lake & St-Ferdinand in the municipality of Irlande. There is also an observation tower to view the pond.
L'Aigrette bleue a été revue ce matin à l'étang Stater. Cet étang se situe sur la route 165, à mi-chemin entre Black-Lake et St-Ferdinand, dans la municipalité de campagne d'Irlande. Il y a une tour d'observation de deux étages avec une vue sur l'étang - Alain Sheinck

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #8 Report

It seems like it took until our eighth week into this year's Summer Series to actually encounter real summer birding. Today was certainly the day. Sunny and hot, with a high temperature noted of 32 degrees!

Thankfully fairly regular breezes throughout the morning made the majority of the outing very pleasant, keeping down the humidity, but as we made our last stop of the day at St-Timothee, we were at the noon hour, the wind had died down and the heat quickly took the wind out of all of us!

Seven birders participated in today's trip which began at Ste-Martine, where the water level was finally down, exposing shorebird habitat but, other than Yellowlegs, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers, we were shut out of any other shorebirds for the day. We moved on to the water purification ponds at Mercier where we added 5 species of swallows, only missing out on the Rough-winged. It was here that we had our definite "Bird of the Day", a single adult nonbreeding Bobolink, a spectacularly colourful bird, much different though that the adult breeding bird that we usually encounter.

We moved on to Maple Grove where the Caspian Terns arrived right on cue. We headed on to St-Etienne-de-Beauharnois and then ended the day at St-Timothee.

Here is our species list of 51 species for the day.

Canada Goose, Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, American Kestrel, Common Moorhen, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Marsh Wren, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

We wrap up the Summer Series for 2009 next Saturday with Joel Coutu leading us
on a trip through Parc de la Visitation. Details of the trip will be posted
later in the week. Hope to see many of you there. Joel has already seen a
number of fall warblers at the park this month, so we look forward to an
interesting morning.

Thanks to those who braved the heat to come along for the outing today - Sheldon

Sightings for Saturday August 15th

Bellechasse, La Durantaye: Red-necked phalarope at the water treatment ponds
Phalarope à bec étroit aux étangs d'épuration de La Durantaye dans Bellechasse - Gérard Cyr, Gaétan Lord

Sightings for Friday August 14th

Irlande, municipality of St-Ferdinand: Slater pond (étang) Snowy egret and Great egret are always present. A Bald eagle was also seen
l'étang Stater à Irlande (municipalité de St-Ferdinand) et l'Aigrette neigeuse était toujours présente ainsi qu'une Grande aigrette. Un Pygargue adulte était aussi sur place. - Daniel Gagné

Sightings for Thursday August 13th

Irlande, municipality of St-Ferdinand: Slater pond (étang) Snowy egret and Great egret l'étang Stater à Irlande (municipalité de St-Ferdinand) et l'Aigrette neigeuse, une Grande aigrette - Benoît Lemay

Cap Tourmente: FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER parking lot by the interpatation center
TYRAN DES SAVANES Entre 18h30 et 19h30, au stationnement près du centre d'interprétation. - Josée Normandeau, Céline Leclerc, Réjean Paquet

parc de la Pointe-des-Cascades: Carolina wren (heard), Caspian terns, Pileated woodpecker, Coopers hawk

Troglodyte de Caroline (entendu), Sternes caspiennes un Grand Pic et un Épervier de Cooper - Pierre Bannon

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #8 - SUNDAY, August 16

The eighth outing of the Summer Series of Birding, our second to last of the season, will once again take place on Sunday rather than Saturday. The forecast is for sunshine, clear and HOT with a predicted high of 30 degrees! As a result, I think it will be wise to keep ourselves near some water and hope for a bit of a breeze!

So, we will begin our trip at the dam at Ste-Martine, checking for shorebirds, ducks, etc. and then head off to some of the well-known birding spots in southwestern Quebec, including the sewage lagoons at Mercier, the ponds at St-Etienne de Beauharnois and the marsh at St-Timothee. With dry weather all week, we may drive down behind the ponds at St-Etienne, something that proved very productive on one of our outings a few summers back. There have also been Caspian Terns spotted at Maple Grove. If time permits we may be able to look
for them as well.

DATE: Sunday, August 16, 2009
TIME: 8:00 AM – Half day; combination driving/walking trip
MEETING PLACE: The dam on the Chateauguay River, in Ste-Martine, Quebec, behind the Gregoire restaurant on Highway 138, just south of the intersection with Highway 205.

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: Coming from Montreal, take the Mercier Bridge to the South
Shore and continue on Highway 138 through the towns of Chateauguay and Mercier, into Ste-Martine. On Highway 138 in Ste-Martine, just past the intersection for Highway 205, you will see the Gregoire restaurant & ice cream parlour on your right. Turn in right at the Gregoire restaurant. Parking is available behind the restaurant along the shore of the river.

ITINERARY: We will begin the day by checking for shorebirds, ducks, etc. at the dam at Ste-Martine. From there, we will back-track a little to visit the sewage lagoons/water filtration plant in Mercier. We will then move on to St-Etienne and St-Timothee and, if time permits, we'll make a short stop at Maple Grove, on McDonald Street at the waterfront to check for the Caspian Terns.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. On Sunday morning you can reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141. With the high temperature and sunshine forecast, be sure bring along plenty of fluids and protection from the sun. I do not anticipate going much beyond lunchtime, but you may wish to bring lunch along with you.

This looks like a morning of real summertime birding! See you there. - Sheldon

Loggerhead Shrikes

We have been asked to pass around the following information concerning the Shrikes being released from our sanctuary at Breckenridge ...

(quote)

Bonjour Every one,

Here is a file showing the colour combinaison of the tags install on the legs of each Loggerhead Shrike release at The Natural Preserve of Breckenridge, Québec on this July 31, 2009. We have release seven young
Loggerhead Shrike. The colour Orange is marking the Québec birds for 2009.

Left Leg--------------------------------Right Leg

Orange /Silver coloured metal (SI)------Dark Blue/Grey

Orange/SI-------------------------------Dark Blue/Light Blue

Orange/SI-------------------------------Dark Blue/Light Green

Orange/SI-------------------------------Dark Blue/White

Orange/SI-------------------------------Dark Blue/Yellow

Orange/SI-------------------------------Grey/Dark Blue

Orange/SI-------------------------------Grey /Grey

All the left legs have an orange band over top of the silver coloured metal U.S. Fish & Wild. Service band.

Please pass the words around, and if somebody on the Ontario side or any place else see something looking like a Loggerhead Shrike wearing colour band (specially orange colour), please ask them to contact me.

Thank you ... Open to any questions.

Gérard Desjardins
Club des ornithologues de l'Outaouais
Info@coo.qc.ca
819 682-1717
2009: Le COO célèbre avec fierté son 31ième anniversaire
Voir www.coo.qc.ca et cliquez sur onglet «Devenir membre»

Sightings for Tuesday August 11th

Today while playing golf at LaFleur in Kanawake , on the third hole I saw a Red-tailed hawk (Buse à queue rousse) . It was on the ground by a tree and very close to us. It flew up to a tree and then came back down . The second time it flew up to the tree I could see a mouse or something that small in its talons - Diane Webster

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #7 Report

A great turnout of 18 birders for yesterday's trip to the sewage lagoons in St-Isidore, Casselman, Embrun and St-Albert, Ontario. The weather, thankfully, turned out to be a non-issue for the whole day. In fact, our stay at the first stop, St-Isidore, was under blue sky and sunshine! Cloudy and occasionally threatening skies dominated the rest of the day, but no rain at all other than a few very light sprinkles. Actually the clouds were probably a good thing as the temperature remained around 22 or 23 degrees for the whole day, with a light wind, all contributing to a pleasant time with no humidity.

It was a long day, as we completed our visit at the St-Albert lagoons at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon.

The high water level at several of the lagoons, and the amount of heavy overgrowth in some locations did not provide ideal conditions for the anticipated shorebirds, but a few of the ponds did provide opportunities to spot a number of shorebird species.

We completed the day with a total of 56 species, including 12 species of ducks and geese.

Thanks to everyone for a fun and fast-paced day in eastern Ontario. Here is out complete species list for the day.

Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Am. Black Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Northern Harrier, Merlin, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow - Sheldon

Sightings for Saturday August 8th

Tracy: American white pelican in flight going S.W. at 10:40 am
10.40 am Je viens de voir passer en vol, direction sud-ouest un Pélican blanc d'Amérique au dessus de Tracy - Jean Bellerose

Sightings for Wednesday August 5th

Montreal, corner of Boyer & Everett: Merlin
Faucon émérillon à Montréal au coin de Boyer et Everett - Alexis Robin-Brisebois

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #7 - SUNDAY, August 9

DATE: Sunday, August 9, 2009
TIME: 7:00 AM – Full day; combination driving/walking trip
MEETING PLACE: We will be departing from the Hudson Inn parking lot in Hudson,
Quebec located at Exit 17 off of Highway 40, in front of the food/gas complex which includes the Burger King restaurant. Please arrive a little early to be ready to depart for Ontario at 7 AM sharp. We have roughly a 70 km. drive from Hudson to our first stop of the day, so the
plan is to get an early start.

ITINERARY: The plan is to visit 4 different sewage lagoons in Ontario; St. Isidore, Casselman, Embrun and St. Albert. We are hoping for a selection of shorebirds and marsh-dwellers, together with whatever other birds we can find throughout the day. Exploring St. Isidore and Casselman should fill our morning. We will take a lunch break at the parking lot of the Tim Horton's in Casselman prior to heading out to our third and fourth stops in Embrun and St. Albert. You can bring along your lunch or pick up something at a number of restaurants located at the Cassleman stop. We will park at each of the lagoons and explore them on foot with St. Albert being the largest of the four sites.

Be advised that these lagoons are located in wide open and exposed areas, away from any facilities. They provide very little in the way of shade from the hot sun, or shelter from any possible rainfall. Therefore dress accordingly and bring along plenty of fluids.

If you have portable two-way radios, please bring them along. Car-pooling is highly recommended for this trip.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. If you run in to any delays on Sunday morning and think that you might be late, please call me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141. We will be leaving at 7 am sharp. You will have plenty of time to catch up to us at our first stop in St-Isidore so be sure to have the driving
instructions with you.

It is difficult to say how long this trip will be. That will depend on how willing the birds are to co-operate. However, if you have to leave ahead of the group at any point in the day, there is easy access back to Highway 417 from any of the sewage lagoon locations.

We look forward to an exciting day on Sunday - Sheldon

Sightings for Monday August 3rd

Parc Pointe-des-Cascades: 12 Caspian terns, about 100 Northern rough-winged swallows, Yellow-rumped warbler juvenile.
12 Sternes caspiennes ce matin au parc Pointe-des-Cascades. Au moins une centaine d'Hirondelles à ailes hérissées chassaient au-dessus des rapides. Des parulines migratrices commencent à défiler au bout de la pointe, dont une Paruline à croupion jaune juvénile - Pierre Bannon

Sightins for Sunday August 2nd

St-Timothée, marsh: Notable among 36 species seen in a brief hour and a half period before sundown were 5 heron species (Least bittern (Petit Blongios), Great egret (Grande Aigrette), Green heron (Héron vert), Great blue (Grand Héron), and Black-crowned night heron (Bihoreau gris), Common moorhen (Gallinule poule-d'eau), American coot (Foulque d'Amérique), Osprey (Balbuzard pêcheur), Northern harrier (Busard Saint-Martin) and Willow flycatcher (Moucherolle des saules). Pied-billed grebes (Grèbe à bec bigarré) and several duck species were plentiful - Ian Turner

Westmount, (Parc) Summit Park: Eastern screech owl (Petit duc maculé) - Alexandre Salvas

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #6 Report

Montreal: 14 birders participate in this morning's lengthy walk through the Mount Royal Cemetery. We managed to make it through the morning with only a few sprinkles of rain. The cloudy conditions and cooling wind kept the humidity down, making for a pleasant walk.

Bird life however was somewhat sparse throughout the morning. There were several sections of the grounds where birdlife was neither seen nor heard. But, true to form, the cemetery did produce a number of interesting sights. Here is our list of 26 species. Photo by Chuck Kling click to enlarge and to see other photos

Cooper's Hawk - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1 (presumably one from the UofM)
Mourning Dove - 1
Chimney Swift - 4
Downy Woodpecker -2
Northern Flicker - 2
Eastern Phoebe - 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 6
Blue Jay - 6
American Crow - 12
Common Raven - 1
Tree Swallow - 3
Black-capped Chickadee - 10
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
House Wren - 4
Eastern Bluebird - 4
American Robin - 12
Gray Catbird - 4
Cedar Waxwing - 6
Chipping Sparrow - 10
Song Sparrow - 10
Northern Cardinal - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
American Goldfinch - 20
House Sparrow - 3

Strangely missing in action today were European Starlings (one was reported later by Chuck Kling), Common Grackles, warblers of any kind, Indigo Buntings and Baltimore Orioles.

The House Wren were very active feeding young in houses in two sections of the cemetery. Bluebirds were also seen around nestboxes in two locations.

Thank you to all who challenged the weather and joined in for the walk this morning.

Please don't forget our Eastern Ontario Sewage Lagoon field trip scheduled for next Sunday, August 9. Complete details will appear on Songsparrow in a few days. The excitement is already building with a good crowd of people expected based on the response from people so far - Sheldon

Sightings for Saturday August 1st

Mercier, water treatment ponds: 2 Red-tailed hawks (Buse à queue rousse) 1 soaring over the field beside the ponds and a juvenile on top of a hydro pole calling

Ste-Martine, at the dam: 22 Greater yellowlegs, 6 Lesser yellowlegs, 2 spotted sandpiper, 4 Killdeer
22 Grand Chevalier, 6 Petit Chevalier, 2 Chevalier grivelé, 4 Pluvier kildir

Maple Grove, rue Macdonald: 2 Caspian terns, 4 Common terns, 6 Black terns, 2 Osprey, 7 Pied-billed grebe
2 Sterne caspienne, 4 Sterne pierregarin, 6 Guifette noire, 2 Balbuzard pêcheur, Grèbe à bec bigarré – T. Long

Saint-Timothée, marsh: 3 Osprey, American bittern, 2 Least bittern, 2 Green heron, 5 Black-crowned night-heron, 1 Great egret, 1 Great blue heron
au marais de Saint-Timothée, il y avait trois Balbuzard pêcheur. Je suis retourné au marais en soirée. Mais, juste avant d'arriver au stationnement, un Butor d'Amérique était posé sur l'accotement. De la piste cyclable, j'ai observé deux Petit Blongios en vol, deux Héron vert, cinq Bihoreau gris, une Grande Aigrette et un Grand Héron - Régis Fortin

Sightings for Thursday July 30th

Parc Pointe-des Cascades: Counted 11 Caspian terns (Sternes caspiennes) among the ring-billed gulls and common terns. One American bittern, and 50-plus Northern rough-winged swallows (Hirondelles à ailes hérissées) were the afternoon's highlights -
Ian Turner

Verdun, rue Fayolle: at the river Caspian tern (juvenile + adult), Common terns, 8 Great egret, 20 Purple martins
au bord du Fleuve - Sterne caspienne (juvénile + adult), Sternes pierregarin, 8 Grandes aigrettes, vingtaine d'Hirondelles noires - Diane Demers


Montréal, Mount Royal cemetery: re: Sunday's outing ..... Carefully check out the bushes atop Mount Murray, containing these white berries. For the moment , they are not quite at the peak of ripeness..... but soon they will become a veritable food pantry, going into August. All these five birds Rose-breasted grosbeak (f) (Cardinal à poitrine rose), Indigo bunting (f) Passerin indigo, Downy woodpecker (Pic mineur), Red-eyed vireo (Viréo aux yeux rouges), Cedar waxwing (Jaseur d'Amérique) were captured in the same general area, before 10 am. - Chuck Kling - click photo to enlarge and see other photos

rueViau: a male Merlin (Faucon émerillon) that flew into a conifer 200 feet from the entrance to Parc Maisonneuve - Anthony Francis

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #6 - SUNDAY, August 2

This week's outing will be on Sunday, August 2nd, rather than the usual Saturday. In fact the next three outings will be held on Sundays, due to previous committments. After visiting a number of out of town locations in the past few weeks, this week we return to the heart of Montreal, for a visit to the Mount Royal Cemetery and Mount Royal Park.

DATE: Sunday, August 2, 2009
TIME: 8:00 AM – Half-day outing; walking trip
MEETING PLACE: The main north gates of the cemetery, on chemin de la Foret in Outremont. Free parking is available on the street and in the visitors parking spaces just inside the gates.

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: Chemin de la Foret is accessible from two different directions. If coming from the west, you can take Cote Ste-Catherine Road east from Decarie across the mountain to Mont-Royal Blvd. Turn left on Mont-Royal and follow it west to ch. de la Foret up to the gates. From the north, south or east, take Mont-Royal Blvd. west off of Park Avenue and follow it up to the gates. Public
transport will get you to the corner of Mont-Royal and Park Avenue. From there it is about a 10-minute walk heading west along Mont-Royal/ch. de la Foret to the gates of the cemetery.

ITINERARY: We will visit several of the hot spots of the cemetery, including Mount Murray and Mountain View. Many birds nest here each year. Eastern Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, House Wrens, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Cedar Waxwings, Red-eyed Vireos, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are just some of the usual residents. In addition, we will continue on to Mount Royal Park, exploring some of the trails around Beaver Lake and the chalet.

This will be a lengthy walk so be prepared with some comfortable walking shoes.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. If you need to reach me on Saturday morning, please call me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141.

I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday morning.

Sheldon

Sightings for Wednesday July 29th

Parc Pointe-des-Cascades: 5 Caspian terns, 1 Green heron, 30 Northern rough-winged swallows
5 Sternes caspiennes au Parc Pointe-des-Cascades ce midi. Aussi
un Héron vert et une trentaine d'Hirondelles à ailes hérissées - Pierre Bannon

Sightings for Tuesday July 28th

Montreal: 5:30 pm on Jumonville between Monsabré and Lacordaire, I saw what I believe was a Broad-winged hawk (Petite buse) lifting a pigeon belly up from the ground and going into a tree... I noted a white line near the tip of the tail, the fact that the prey bird was not much bigger than the pigeon but with larger wings. Once in the tree I noted a rather small head and beak and dark chest. The bird was 5-6 feet from where I was on the sidewalk walking my dog, in front of an apartment building where 6 pigeons normally feed... - Mireille Goulet

Sightings for Monday July 27th

Varennes, chemin des Artisans: Whimbrel feeding in a field with short grass
COURLIS courlieu Il s'alimentait dans un champ où l'herbe était très courte - (Raymond Belhumeur click photo to enlarge) Sheldon Harvey + others (autres)



Chateauguay, Île Saint-Bernard:
It was very humid this morning in the wooded area, on the lac St-Louis side of Île Saint-Bernard. There were also quite a few mosquitoes until you got to the cut-off for the grande digue, then they were not so noticible. Also a second outhouse has been installed on the way to the grande digue in the Érabliere à caryers. Between Érabliere à caryers and the grande digue the path is quite muddy because of all the rain.

A mink and a garter snake were on the path between the grande digue and the petite digue, where there were two deer.

47 species were seen in just over 2 hrs
6 Mallard, 300 Double-crested Cormorant, 4 Great Blue Heron, 19 Great Egret, 2
Green Heron, 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 1 Killdeer, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 10
Ring-billed Gull, 1 Common Tern, 2 Rock Pigeon, 8 Mourning Dove, 1 Ruby-throated
Hummingbird, 2 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1 Downy
Woodpecker, 2 Hairy Woodpecker, 10 Northern Flicker, 4 Eastern Wood-Pewee, 2
Willow Flycatcher, 1 Least Flycatcher, 3 Great Crested Flycatcher, 1 Eastern
Kingbird, 4 Warbling Vireo, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 3 Blue Jay, 4 American Crow, 6
Tree Swallow, 8, Black-capped Chickadee, 6, White-breasted Nuthatch, 11, House
Wren, 22, Marsh Wren, 10 American Robin, 2, Gray Catbird, 8, European Starling,
7 Cedar Waxwing, 40 Yellow Warbler, 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, 12 Common
Yellowthroat, 60 Song Sparrow, 8 Swamp Sparrow, 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 80
Red-winged Blackbird, 20 Common Grackle, 1 Baltimore Oriole, 6 American
Goldfinch, 5 House Sparrow - T. Long

Sightings for Saturday July 25th

Varennes, chemin des Artisans: Whimbrel feeding in a field with short grass
COURLIS courlieu Il s'alimentait dans un champ où l'herbe était très courte. - Sylvain Lamoureux, Manon Thibeault

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #5 Report

7 birders headed out to Yamachiche and Maskinongé, north-east of Montreal, towards Trois-Rivieres this morning, recognizing that the forecast of a 30% chance of rain also means a 70% chance that it won't! The odds were on our side as we spent a full morning with a mix of cloud and sun plus a cooling breeze to take away some of the humidity.

We were greeted by a good sign for the day; a Red-tailed Hawk perched in a tree adjacent to the parking lot. This was an indicator of a good day ahead.

We were also surprised to find a brand new addition to the Pointe de Yamachiche site. A very impressive and lengthy raised boardwalk has been recently installed. It heads off to the right off the path, not far from the parking lot. It begins by winding through a forested area that, based on the muddy ground below, apparently is inondated with water during the spring months. The
boardwalk then splits off into two directions, both arms leading to raised areas overlooking marshy areas on the shore of Lac St-Pierre. This is a very impressive addition to this excellent birding site.

The trail leading down to the sandy shore along the lake is now quite
narrow with lots of high vegetation overgrown on both sides. Once at the waterfront, again heavy growth of vegetation is now covering what used to be a wide open sandy and rocky area. The water level on the lake is also quite elevated. Still we were able to see substantial numbers of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, a few Spotted Sandpipers, one Greater Yellowlegs and a nice mix of Black Tern, Common Tern and Ring-billed Gulls. Somewhat surprising was the almost total absence of ducks. Photo of least sandpiper, click to enlarge T. Long

The wooded trail did offer up large numbers of Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats and Song Sparrows.

After a little more than three hours of exploring Pointe de Yamachiche we headed west towards Maskinongé to check out two substantial marshes running parallel to Highway 40 on the north side. These marshes were featured on Jean-Pierre Pratte's Quebec birding sites webpage. A warning to all here. Pratte's maps present seemingly easy access points to various observations points on the marsh. Roads on his maps, plus on the Quebec road map, are barely roads which
lead to the marshes. They are dirt roads which seem to act primarily as service roads for farmers in the area to access their field. Areas indicated with a "P" for parking areas are nothing more than slightly wider clearings along side the dirt roads. Turning around to return on these roads can be an adventure as I found out first-hand as I backed in to a spot that turned out to be a mud patch. With five people pushing, we finally succeeded in getting out, but not without the back tires kicking up a massive amout of mud which unfortunately found its target on a number of the people behind the van! It looked like they were paying tribute to the upcoming 40th anniversary of Woodstock with all the mud and surrounding farm fields!

Take note that what appear to be walking paths on Pratte's map surrounding the marshes are actually covered with thick, heavy over-growth. These marshes do appear to have a lot of potential but certainly accessing them is far from as easy at it appears on the maps.

One interesting and somewhat surprising sighting of note at the marsh was a pair of Snow Geese, one adult, possibly injured, together with a dark young bird.

So, with our adventurs of today behind us, we focus on today's species list. We completed the day with a very impressive 57 species. Thanks to those who attended, particularly for taking the muddy episode in stride, with a sense of humour - Sheldon

Here is our species list for the day.
Snow Goose (2)
Mallard (40)
Blue-winged Teal (1)
Pied-billed Grebe (5)
Double-crested Cormorant (60)
American Bittern (2)
Great Blue Heron (6)
Great Egret (10)
Black-crowned Night Heron (1)
Turkey Vulture (6)
Northern Harrier (1)
Red-tailed Hawk (2)
Killdeer (1)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
Spotted Sandpiper (6)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (16)
Least Sandpiper (4)
Ring-billed Gull (30)
Common Tern (6)
Black Tern (30)
Rock Pigeon (40)
Mourning Dove (6)
Belted Kingfisher (1)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Northern Flicker (1)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (3)
Great Crested Flycatcher (6)
Eastern Kingbird (6)
Warbling Vireo (2)
Red-eyed Vireo (3)
Blue Jay (4)
American Crow (12)
Tree Swallow (40)
Barn Swallow (6)
Black-capped Chickadee (6)
White-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Marsh Wren (1)
Veery (1)
American Robin (8)
Gray Catbird (6)
European Starling (6)
Cedar Waxwing (8)
Nashville Warbler (1)
Yellow Warbler (40)
Black-and-White Warbler (1)
Ovenbird (1)
Common Yellowthroat (12)
Chipping Sparrow (2)
Savannah Sparrow (1)
Song Sparrow (50)
Swamp Sparrow (12)
Red-winged Blackbird (30)
Common Grackle (6)
Baltimore Oriole (2)
American Goldfinch (12)
House Sparrow (1)

Sightings for Tuesday July 21st

There's a family Cooper's hawk with 3 or 4 young who fledged at the end of last week, in St Bruno. Their favourite tree is on the left side of Rabastaliere just north of Blvd de Boucherville - Ann Fleming

Trois-Rivières: LITTLE BLUE HERON near Sanctuaire Notre-Dame du Cap
4 Northern mockingbirds 2 adults and 2 imm. at the port around the grain elevators
AIGRETTE BLEUE près du Sanctuaire N-D du Cap.
Moqueurs polyglottes aux installations portuaires (secteur élévateurs à grains). 4 moqueurs étaient visibles, 2 imm. 2 adultes - Robert Barbeau

Sightings for Monday July 20th

Trois-Rivières, l'étang Du Moulin (pond): LITTLE BLUE HERON see July 18th for location
AIGRETTE BLEU nous profitons de l'occasion pour observer ce bel oiseau. Voir July 18th pour direction - Mario Grégoire, Lise Hupé

Sightings for Sunday July 19th

I went to Trois-Rivières this afternoon and eaily saw the LITTLE BLUE HERON reported by Micheline Bisson
Je suis allé à Trois-Rivières cet après midi et j'ai vu facilement l'AIGRETTE BLEU adulte qui a été signalée par Micheline Bisson - Michel Bertrand

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #4 Report

The dark and dreary conditions early yesterday morning in the Montreal region may have discouraged many people from venturing out for the field trip at Parc régional St-Bernard, in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, QC. However, it was a just another case of "never trust the weather reports". We had two very light sprinklings of rain throughout the morning. The rest of the time was very pleasant with cloudy conditions mixed with several long periods of sunshine and
pleasant temperatures. Only 4 birders decided to challenge the elements but we succeeded in collecting an even dozen species per person for the day, for a total of 48.

The park itself offers an extensive network of both easy and difficult trails to walk. The park is used for both snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. Some of the major trails are kept clear throughout the year but some of the secondary trails were heavily overgrown and inaccessible. Overall the park offers 210 hectares to explore. A species list maintained by the park now has over 175 species seen on the grounds. Numerous well stocked feeders are
maintained year-round just across from the main chalet. Bluebird boxes are installed, and used, adjacent to the main parking lot.

33 species were seen within the boundaries of Parc régional itself. Another 15 species were added in a side-trip south of Lacolle, primarily on ch. de la Barbotte, between Highway 202 and the U.S. border, along the western shore of the Richelieu River.














The highlight of our day was an 'up close and personal" encounter with a young Ruffed Grouse on ch. de la Barbotte. We were just about to pull away from a stop to check out the waterfront when he/she walkout out on to the road in front of our vehicles. We got out and were able to spend quite some time at arm's length away from the bird. The bird was not the least bit afraid of us, but seemed as interested in us as we were with him/her. At one point, we almost thought the bird was ready to jump in the van with us as we prepared to depart. On the return trip, the bird was spotted again, this time with a second grouse. Click photo to enlarge


So, here is the species list for the day. I will post the birds seen in the park first, followed by those seen elsewhere.

Ring-billed Gull (10), Mourning Dove (10), Downy Woodpecker (1), Eastern Wood-Pewee (2), Eastern Kingbird (4), Red-eyed Vireo (6), Blue Jay (6), American Crow (6), Barn Swallow (10), Black-capped Chickadee (12), Red-breasted Nuthatch (1), White-breasted Nuthatch (1), House Wren (2), Eastern Bluebird (2), Wood Thrush (3), American Robin (20), Gray Catbird (1), European Starling (30), Cedar Waxwing (10), Black-throated Blue Warbler (1), American Redstart (2), Ovenbird (1), Common Yellowthroat (2), Chipping Sparrow (10), Song Sparrow (20), White-throated Sparrow (3), Northern Cardinal (3), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (6), Red-winged Blackbird (8), Common Grackle (6), Purple Finch (2), House Finch (1), American Goldfinch (20).

Wood Duck (1), Ruffed Grouse (2), Wild Turkey (6), Virginia Rail (1), Killdeer (1), Spotted Sandpiper (1), Rock Pigeon (25), Northern Flicker (2), Great Crested Flycatcher (1), Warbling Vireo (1), Tree Swallow (2), Marsh Wren (1), Yellow Warbler (2), Swamp Sparrow (1), House Sparrow (15)

Sightings for Saturday July 18th

Trois-Rivières, l'étang Du Moulin (pond): LITTLE BLUE HERON (adult) was discovered by Julien Belin
l'étang Du Moulin (pond) is in the proximity of Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap (Cap-de-la-Madeleine area), between the streets of rues Notre-Dame, Du Moulin des Jésuites, De La Madone et Loranger. The pond is currently being cleaned so the water level is low.
AIGRETTE BLEUE (adulte), à l'étang Du Moulin à Trois-Rivières. L'oiseau a été découvert tout récemment par Julien Belin - Micheline Bisson
L'étang du Moulin se situe à proximité du Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-du-Cap (secteur Cap-de-la-Madeleine),dans le quadrilatère compris entre les rues Notre-Dame, Du Moulin des Jésuites, De La Madone et Loranger. Cet étang fait présentement l'objet d'un nettoyage et ne contient que très peu d'eau - Serge St-Louis

Sightings for Friday July 17th

Montréal: Northern Mockingbird singing from the fence along the rue Notre-Dame East, just east of the entrance of the former Esso refinery in Montreal East
Moqueur polyglotte chantait à partir de la clôture en bordure de la rue Notre-Dame Est, un peu à l'est de l'entrée de l'ancienne raffinerie d'Esso à Montréal-Est. - Richard Guillet

Sightings for Wednesday July 15th

St-Joseph-de-la-Rive: COMMON CHAFFINCH was observed on chemin des Marguerites and chemin des Dunes
Pinson des arbres est observer sur le chemin des Marguerites et le chemin des Dunes -Gaétan Duquette, Nicole Lépine, Michel Robert, Claire & Harvey Mead & others (autres)

Montréal, (Ville St-Laurent): Northern mockingbird corner of rue Marcel-Laurin & Poirier Moqueur polyglotte au coin des rue Marcel-Laurin et Poirier - Don-Jean Léandri, Alexandre Brunet

Sightings for Monday July 13th

Trois-Rivières, rue Notre-Dame et Carleton: Northern mockingbirds at the port of Trois-Rivières in front of the grain elevators carring food for young.
Au port de Trois-Rivières (intersection de le rue Notre-Dame et Carleton, face aux élévateurs à grain) j'ai pu observer un couple de Moqueurs polyglottes en train de nourrir un petit. - Jacques Gélinas

Sightings for Sunday July 12th

St-Joseph-de-la-Rive: COMMON CHAFFINCH singing between 7:30 & 8: along rue du Quai and Ste-Marguerite (which is parallel), west side, approximately 150 meters before arriving at the dock. High in the foliage (it seems to appreciate the poplars) but I was able to observe several minutes from the road. It's song sounds vaguely like that of the House wren. The best place to parking is at the dock itself.
PINSON DES ARBRES chantait constamment ce matin 12 juillet, entre 7h30 et 8h30, le long de la rue du Quai et du chemin Ste-Marguerite (qui est parallèle), côté ouest, à environ 150 mètres avant d'arriver au quai. Il se tenait souvent haut dans le feuillage (il semble apprécier les peupliers) mais j'ai pu l'observer plusieurs minutes à partir de la voie publique. Son chant rappelle vaguement celui du Troglodyte familier. Le meilleur endroit pour stationner est le quai lui-même. - Gaétan Lord

Sightings for Saturday July 11th

Îles-de-la-Madeleine, we join the Club d'Ornithologie des Îles-de-la-Madeleine for an outing to Rocher aux Oiseaux and Île Brion. Here are the main birds seen:
Going to Rocher aux Oiseaux by zodiac: 6 Sooty shearwater, 1 Greater shearwater, 1 Northern Fulmal, 1 Common loon
Rocher aux Oiseaux: Thick-billed murre, Common Murre, Black guillemot, Razorbill, Northern gannet, Black-legged kittiwake, Atlantic puffin
Added at Île Brion: Merlin, 3 Savannan sparrows, 4 American crows
nous avons accompagné le Club d'Ornithologie des Îles-de-la-Madeleine pour une sortie au Rocher aux Oiseaux et à l'île Brion. Voici les principaux oiseaux observés:
En route vers le Rocher en zodiac: 6 Puffins fuligineux, 1 Puffin majeur, 1 Fulmar boréal, 1 Plongeon huard
Au Rocher: Guillemots de Brunnïch, Guillemots marmette, Guillemots à miroir, Petit pingouin, Fous de Bassan, Mouettes tridactyle, Macareux moine
À l'Île Brion on a ajouté: 1 Faucon émerillon, 3 Bruants des prés, 4 Corneilles d'Amérique - Gilles Ethier, Murielle Couture et Robert Chartier

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #3 Report

12 birders enjoyed a lengthy, almost 4 hour walk around the grounds of the Montreal Botanical Gardens this morning. The weather was great; warm with a nice breeze and mostly sunny skies. Clouds began to roll in, as forecast, as we wrapped up the morning.

We probably spent as much time enjoying the plants, flowers and trees as we did in watching the birdlife. However, certainly one of the highlights of the day was the spectacular show being staged by the Cooper's Hawk family of seven. Photo taken by Chuck Kling. Click to enlarge and to see other photos

5 young birds were spread throughout a group of trees opposite the Shade Garden, awaiting the delivery of food from their parents. All five were easily visible, often flattened out on branches, relaxing in the shade, waiting for their parents to arrive with food. When food did arrive, the excitement began. Space was at a premium with a large throng of photographers present looking for that "special photo op".

At the end of the morning, we saw one of the adults seemingly taking a bit of break, perched in a tree quietly near the restaurant building.

We were also quite surprised to find a pair of Common Ravens right at the start of the outing flying in tandem around the Olympic Stadium tower and then heading off to the west.

We completed the day with 25 species. Our list follows below. A special thanks to Jane Atkinson for acting as our special tour guide around the Gardens, and providing some interesting stories, particularly her involvement in the creation of one of the major Alpine Garden exhibit areas.

Thanks to all who participated in a fun and relaxing outing. Here are the bird celebrities of the day.

Mallard (50), Pied-billed Grebe (1), Cooper's Hawk (6 or 7 depending on whether
we saw one or two of the adults), Ring-billed Gull (12) Rock Pigeon (10),
Chimney Swift (6), Downy Woodpecker (2), Warbling Vireo (1), Red-eyed Vireo (6), American Crow (12), Common Raven (2), Black-capped Chickadee (20),
White-breasted Nuthatch (1), American Robin (25), Cedar Waxwing (12), Yellow
Warbler (1), Chipping Sparrow (20), Song Sparrow (12), Northern Cardinal (1),
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1), Red-winged Blackbird (24), Common Grackle (1), House Finch (6), American Goldfinch (24), House Sparrow (4) - Sheldon

Sightings for Friday July 10th

Îles-de-la-Madeleine, La Martinique pond area: 12 Whimbrel, 8 Short-billed dowitcher, 18 Greater scaup, 14 Black duck, 3 Mallard, 30+ Common tern, 1 Merlin, 7 Bonaparte’s gull, 1 Sora, 2 Song sparrow, xxx Savannah sparrow, Gulls – Great black-backed, Herring, Double-crested cormorants, Crows
Barachoix de Fatima: 6 Piing plovers, 14 Whimbrel, 7 Least sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated sandpiper, 1 Merlin, 1 Virginia rail, etc
dans le secteur des étangs de La Martinique: 12 Courlis corlieu, 8 Bécassins roux, 18 Fuligule milouinan, 14 Canards noir, 3 Canards colvert, 30+ Sterne pierregarin, 1 Faucon émerillon, 7 Mouettes de Bonaparte, 1 Marouette de Caroline, 2 Bruants chanteur, xxx Bruants des prés, Goélands marin, argenté, Cormorans à aigrettes et Corneilles
Dans le Barachoix de Fatima avec Robert Chartier: 6 Pluviers siffleurs, 14 Courlis corlieu, 7 Bécasseaux minuscules, 1 Bécasseau semi-palmé, 1 Faucon émerillon, 1 Râle de Virginie, et les autres communs de l'endroit - Gilles Ethier, Robert Chartier, Gérard Cyr

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #3 - Saturday, July 11

This week we'll stay on the island of Montreal and visit a place that BPQ tends to only visit in the dead of winter, that being the Montreal Botanical Gardens. This spot is easily accessible by either car or by public transportation. It will be a nice opportunity to not only look for bird life but to see the gardens in peak season rather than under cover of snow and below zero temperatures!

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009
Time: 8 AM - Half day. Walking trip.
Meeting Spot: In front of the restaurant building, across from the main greenhouse exhibition entrance on the west side of the gardens, parallel to Pie IX Blvd.

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: The main entrance to the Gardens is located at the corner of Sherbrooke Street East and Pie-IX Blvd. in east end Montreal. There is plenty of FREE Parking on both sides of Pie-IX Blvd., north of Sherbrooke Street. Note that if you park in the Gardens parking lot, there is a fee. Acess to the Botanical Gardens is free, as long as we enter prior to 9 am, so our 8 am start time will not cause a problem. For those taking public transportation, Metro station Pie-IX will bring you out on the corner of Pie-IX Blvd. and Sherbrooke Street.

The entrance closest to our meeting spot is located on the west side of Gardens, on Pie-IX Blvd., a little ways up the block, north of Sherbrooke Street. Enter through these gates and turn left at the main road. The restaurant is the brown building on your left, facing the greenhouses and administration/exhibit hall complex.

ITINERARY: This will be a lengthy walk, exploring the complete Gardens, offering a wide variety of habitats. Of particular interest, bird-wise, is a family of Cooper Hawks, including no less than 5 young that have just recently emerged from the nest. BPQer Chuck Kling posted photos on Songsparrow recently and on Monday of this week indicated that "3 of the 5 young were running around within 15 feet of me, just like a bunch of chickens in a barnyard! One of them "attacked" pine cones, laying on the ground and flipped them in the air...quite a show!
In addition to birds, there will be plenty of plants, flowers, trees, etc. to see in the various sections of the Gardens.

If you have any question, please contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. On the morning of the trip you can reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141. - Sheldon

Sightins for Tuesday July 7th

Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Barachois de Fatima: We observered 9 Piping plovers, 4 adults & 5 chicks
nous avons observé 9 Pluviers siffleurs. 4 adultes et 5 poussins. - Robert Chartier, Murielle Couture, Monique Rouleau & Gilles Ethier.

St Lambert: About 4:00 PM while driving down Brixton Street in St Lambert I looked out the drivers window to the left and was surprised to see an immature Merlin (Faucon émerillon) sitting on the roof of a car parked in the driveway.

I stopped, got out, and was able to approach to within a couple of feet of the bird.

By and large, the feathers seemed a little less that optimum for a fledged falcon. The head still had tufts of white down on top and the tail was about 6-7 inches long.

When it flew, and just missed crashing onto the ground, I could see that the wings were more accipeter-like in shape rather than elongated like a falcon so it still had a little growing to do.

Flight was unsteady and it 'landed', and I use the term generously, about 24 inches up the trunk of a dense spruce that could have been the nest tree.

Fearing for cats I approached close to make it nervous enough so that it flapped and climbed its way to a perch about 10 feet up and hopefully out of harms way for the time being.

Adults could be heard a couple of houses away but, never, gave me any attention.

The house is about 5-6 up from Riverside if anyone in St Lambert is interested in looking. I didn't think to look at the address but in anyone needs it I can pass by later and get the details - Mark

Sightings for Monday July 6th

Tadoussac, baie de Tadoussac: Lesser black-backed gull 2nd year summer plumage on the beach
Goéland brun en plumage de 2e été était présent sur la plage dans la baie de Tadoussac - Renaud Pintiaux - PHOTOS


Bergeronnes, Cap-de-Bon-Désir: 2 Common murres accompanied by groups of Razorbills 30+. Again many Scoters were headed east. 62 White-winged scoter, 36 Surf scoter, 4 Black scoter and a Northern gannet 2nd year summer plumage.
2 Guillemots marmettes à partir du Cap-de-Bon-Désir . Ils accompagnaient des groupes Petits Pingouins dont j'ai pu en dénombrer un peu plus d'une trentaine. Encore plusieurs de macreuses se dirigeaient vers l'est : Macreuse brune (62), Macreuse à front blanc (36), Macreuse noire (4). Également un Fou de Bassan en plumage de 2e été - Samuel Belleau

Montréal, rue Durocher & Sherbooke east: at he end of the afternoon a Northern mockingbird was seen carring food
en fin d'après-midi, un Moqueur polyglotte transportait de la nourriture à l'angle des rues Durocher et Sherbooke Est à Montréal-Est. Il est allé livré la marchandise dans un bosquet avant de repartir - Richard Guillet

Sightings for Sunday July 5th

A lovely sunny day to take the ferry from Souris (Prince Edward Island) to Cap-aux-Meules, Îles-de-la-Madeleine (Quebec). Principal observation on the Îles-de-la-Madeleine side: 150 Greater shearwater, 25 Sooty shearwater, Manx Shearwater, 10 Northern Fulmar, 1 Atlantic Puffin 12 WILSON´S STORM PETREL, 80+ Northern gannets, 1 Black guillemot, 40+ Black-legged kittiwakes
Prince Edward Island, Souris coast: 150+ Sooty Shearwater, 75+ Greater Sherawater, 20+ Northern fulmar, 300+ Northern gannets

Par une belle après-midi ensoleillée nous avons effectués la traversée Souris - Cap-aux-Meules
Nos principales observations du côté des Îles-de-la-Madeleine: 150+ Puffins majeur, 25+ Puffins fuligineux, 2 Puffins des Anglais, 10+ Fulmar boréal, 1 Macareux moine, 12 Océanites de Wilson, 80+ Fous de Bassan, 1 Guillemot miroir, 40+ Mouettes tridactyle
Du côté de Souris, Île du Pince Edward, dans le secteur East-Point: 150+ Puffin fuligineux, 75+ Puffin majeur, 20+ Fulmar boréal, 300+ Fous de Bassan - Robert Chartier & Murielle Couture, Gérard Cyr, Louis Fradette, Gilles Ethier et Monique Rouleau & others (et autres)

Sightings for Saturday July 4th

Threatening skies throughout most of the morning and early afternoon, strong winds and the occasional sprinkles of rain could not prevent 8 birders from experiencing an enjoyable and productive outing to the Philipsburg & St-Armand, Quebec region.

Two target species for the day were the Orchard Oriole and the Yellow-throated Vireo. Both birds had been seen on several occasions over the last couple of weeks in the region.

With the help of Philipsburg resident and BPQ member Sandy Montgomery, we explored the waterfront road in the area where the Orchard Orioles had been reported. Very strong winds and an overcast sky provided difficult conditions and, as a result, we were not successful in finding the birds. Our efforts were watched closely by several low, gliding Turkey Vultures!

We continued on to the St-Armand/Pigeon Hill area, east of Philipsburg, on a series of gravel and dirt roads south of chemin St-Armand. The terrain and scenery in this region is really great. We searched the area where the Yellow-throated Vireos had been recently reported. Several Red-eyed Vireos and a very vocal Willow Flycatcher, together with some light rain showers, provided
quite a challenge. Finally, the distinct call of the Yellow-throated Vireo, from seemingly two individuals, was heard by Jean Demers and myself. Joined by the rest of our group, we were unfortunately unable to get any sightings of the birds.

Overall though it was a very successful day. A few of us made a stop at the Henryville Marsh on the way home and added a few species to our day's list, giving us a final total of 63 species for the day.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the outing and a special thanks to Sandy for helping out. Here is our complete species list for the day.

Wood Duck (6), Gadwall (2), Great Blue Heron (5), Green Heron (2), Turkey Vulture (10), Osprey (1), Northern Harrier (1), Red-shouldered Hawk (1), Red-tailed Hawk (1), American Kestrel (3), Merlin (1), Common Moorhen (4), Killdeer (2), Ring-billed Gull (250), Great Black-backed Gull (1), Black Tern (4), Rock Pigeon (50), Mourning Dove (8), Northern Flicker (1), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Eastern Wood-Pewee (2), Willow Flycatcher (1), Eastern Phoebe (2), Great Crested Flycatcher (2), Eastern Kingbird (5), Warbling Vireo (1), Yellow-throated Vireo (2), Red-eyed Vireo (6), Blue Jay (6), American Crow (20), Tree Swallow (24), Barn Swallow (20), Black-capped Chickadee (3), House Wren (1), Marsh Wren (1), Eastern Bluebird (1), Veery (1), American Robin (20), Gray Catbird (2), European Starling (100), Cedar Waxwing (20), Yellow Warbler (3), Chestnut-sided Warbler (1), Black-throated Blue Warbler (1), Black-throated Green Warbler (1), Black and White Warbler (1), American Redstart (4), Ovenbird
(3), Common Yellowthroat (3), Chipping Sparrow (6), Savannah Sparrow (2), Song Sparrow (12), Swamp Sparrow (2), White-throated Sparrow (1), Northern Cardinal (2), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2), Indigo Bunting (1), Red-winged Blackbird (75), Common Grackle (6) Purple Finch (1), House Finch (3), American Goldfinch (60), House Sparrow (6) - Sheldon



Parc Régional de Longueuil: Virginia rail (râle de Virginie) - Denise Laferté

At the mouth of rivière Saint-Jean (in Mingnie): Of the 3,000 Gulls in the area there were 23 Lesser black-backed gulls one was in first years plumage and 22 were 2nd of 3rd year plumage.
There was also a Laughing gull 2nd summer and a Sandhill crane in the marsh.
à l'embouchure de la rivière Saint-Jean (en Minganie): Parmi les 3 000 laridés au repos dans le secteur nous avons dénombré 23 Goélands bruns. Tous étaient des immatures : un était en plumage de premier été (oiseau d'un an), les 22 autres étaient en plumage de deuxième ou troisième été.
Il y avait aussi une Mouette atricille de deuxième été et une Grue du Canada
dans le marais - Yann Rochepault, Christophe Buidin

Sightings for Wednesday July 1st

Philipsburg, avenue Champlain (road along the lake) leaving the village at the north end: ORCHARD ORIOLE - also seen at the same place: Green heron, Great blue heron, Turkey vultures, Song sparrows, Yellow warblers, Warbling vireos adult and young etc.
boul. Champlain (chemin du bord du lac), à la sortie nord du village: ORIOLES DES VERGERS - Nous avons aussi observé au même endroit: 1 Héron vert, 1 Grand héron, 14 Urubus à tête rouge, 3 Bruants chanteur, 2 Parulines jaune, Viréos mélodieux adulte et bébés, et les autres communs - Gilles Ethier - PHOTOS

Sightings for Tuesday June 30th

Philipsburg, avenue Champlain (road along the lake) leaving the village at the north end: ORCHARD ORIOLE - I saw a fledgling just out of the nest beside Champlain ave. The first to arrive was the adult male, followed by the female a few minutes later. The young Orchard oriole probably from last year was in a willow about 200m away beside the lake.
boul. Champlain (chemin du bord du lac), à la sortie nord du village: ORIOLES DES VERGERS - J'ai vu un jeune fraichement sorti du nid en bordure de la route sur l'avenue Champlain et à ma grande surprise le premier adulte à se pointer fût un mâle adulte, la femelle est arrivée quelques minutes plus tard. Le jeune mâle d'un an était toujours dans les grands saules un peu plus loin (200m environ) en bordure du lac. Peut-être qu'il est revenu à son lieu de naissance - Jean-Guy Papineau

Tracy: Northern mockingbird nesting near the bicyle path, between chemin St-Roch & rue Prouville
Moqueur polyglotte nichant près de la piste cyclable, entre le chemin St-Roch et la rue Prouville - Jean Bellerose

Sightings for Saturday June 21st

Had two recently hatched Upland Sandpipers (Maubèche des champs) walking awkwardly in the center of Chemin William near Rang Bogton just east of Hemmingford. Stopped the car and 'herded' the pair off of the busy road while an adult protested loudly. Hopefully I gave them enough of a scare to instill the idea that roads are unfriendly! - Mark


Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #1 report

6 birders persevered through less than ideal conditions today for the first field trip of this year's Summer Series of Birding. We visited sites in St. Hubert, Carignan and Chambly, getting fairly wet at a number of the stops thanks to on-again, off-again showers.

One of the target birds of the day was the Northern Mockingbird. It has been seen, off and on, around the St. Hubert Airport over the last couple of weeks. Today, unfortunately, was one of the off days. The airport however did provide us with a large number of Bobolinks, found predominantly in the south-east sector, just inside the fencing surrounding the airport grounds. This is the first year I can recall seeing such a large number of Bobolinks in this area.

Heavy rain as we arrived at Fort Chambly prevented us from taking a lengthy look for waterbirds around the fort, but we did manage to spot a few to add to the list.

Here is our complete list of 47 species viewed today. Thanks to our participants for braving the weather.

Canada Goose (10), American Wigeon (2), Mallard (15), Common Goldeneye (1), Double-crested Cormorant (8), Great Blue Heron (2), Black-crowned Night Heron (2), Northern Harrier (2), Killdeer (1), Ring-billed Gull (10), Common Tern (1), Rock Pigeon (20), Mourning Dove (6), Downy Woodpecker (3), Northern Flicker (3), Eastern Wood-Pewee (2), Great Crested Flycatcher (1), Eastern Kingbird (2), Red-eyed Vireo (1), American Crow (8), Purple Martin (30), Black-capped Chickadee (12), Brown Creeper (1), House Wren (2), Veery (2), American Robin (40), Gray Catbird (4), European Starling (50), Cedar Waxwing (6), Yellow Warbler (2), Chestnut-sided Warbler (2), American Redstart (3), Ovenbird (3), Common Yellowthroat (4), Chipping Sparrow (6), Savannah Sparrow (2), Song Sparrow (8), White-throated Sparrow (2), Northern Cardinal (2), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2), Bobolink (50), Red-winged Blackbird (20), Common Grackle (8), Brown-headed Cowbird (2), House Finch (1), American Goldfinch (12), House Sparrow (4) - Sheldon

Sightings for Thursday June 25th

Frelighsburg, on private property: PRAIRIE WARBLER 10 minutes after starting a bird cencus I heard the singing of a Prairie warbler. Following the incessant singing the bird was found at the top of a spruce tree.
Ce matin, à 10 minutes du début d'un recensement d'oiseaux que j'effectuais sur un terrain privé à Frelighsburg, j'ai entendu le chant d'une PARULINE DES PRÉS...
...Je me suis approché du chant incessant et après 20 minutes, je trouvais l'oiseau dans le faîte d'une épinette, chantant pour attirer une "belle" sans doute! - Serge Beaudette - click photo to enlarge

Sightings for Wednesday June 24th

Dundee, Réserve nationale de faune du lac Saint-François: Sandhill crane couple with 2 young ones on territory at the Egret trail (Digue aux aigrettes). If you go to the welcome center the employees can tell you where they can normally be found.
le couple de Grues du Canada, qui a donné naissance à deux gruons il y a 1 mois environ, sur le territoire à la Digue aux aigrettes. Si vous voulez les observer à Dundee, passez à l'accueil et les employés vous diront leur emplacement habituel de ce temps-ci - Patrick Laniel

Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Field Trip #1 - Saturday, June 27

Hello, everyone. This Saturday morning we kick off the 6th season of the "Summer Series of Birding" with a visit to a few different areas that we haven't visited since 2005. We will be visiting a few areas in St. Hubert and also the Chambly Basin.

DATE: Saturday, June 27, 2009
TIME: 8:00 AM - A Half-day outing
MEETING PLACE: Zeller's parking lot, Taschereau Blvd, Brossard.

DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS: Meet in the parking lot in front of the Zeller's store on Taschereau Blvd. From Montreal, take the Champlain Bridge to Exit 8 (Taschereau Blvd). Turn right on Taschereau Blvd. The Zeller's will be immediately on your right. Duration: Half day.

ITINERARY: We will begin by visiting two wooded areas in St. Hubert. We will then drive to Chambly, Quebec, visiting the areas around the Chambly Basin and the Richelieu River. All locations allow for easy, flat surface walking. I will provide an easy-to-follow map for the trip. If you have portable two-way radios, please bring them along to stay in communication while driving from location to location.

If you have any question, please contact me by e-mail at ve2shw@yahoo.com or by telephone at 450-462-1459. On the morning of the trip you can reach me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141.

Sheldon

Sightings for Saturday June 20th

Sutton
I went hiking on Mont Sutton, left the parking at Altitude 520 (map) and went up by the Dos d’Orignal, then Lac Spruce to the summit, the Round Top, a round trip of approximately 15 to 17 km. My surprise was hear a Bicknell’s thrush close to the intersection at Altitude 860. It sang for about thirty minutes around 1:00 p.m.
Also noted during the excursion: 3 Ruffed grouse, 14 Yellow-bellied flycatchers, 15 winter wren, 14 Golden-crowned kinglets, 10 Swainson’s thrush, 7 Hermit thrush, 19 Nashville warblers, 14 Magnolia warblers, 21 Black-throated blue warblers, 22 Yellow-rumped warblers, 19 Black-throated green warblers, 25 Blackpoll warblers, 16 Black & white warblers, 2 American redstart, 7 Ovenbird, 22 Canada warblers, 21 White-throated sparrows, 22 Dark-eyed juncos, 3 Rose-breasted grosbeak, 1 Purple finch
Strangely no chickadees. 98% of observations were heard

Je suis allé faire une belle randonnée pédestre au Mont Sutton. Je suis parti du stationnement à l’Altitude 520 (carte) et monté par le Dos d’Orignal, puis le Lac Spruce jusqu’au sommet, le Round Top, une randonnée d’environ 15 à 17 km. Ma surprise a été d’entendre longuement une Grive de Bicknell près de l’intersection à l’Altitude 860. Je l’ai entendu chanter pendant une trentaine de minutes vers 13h00. Aussi noté pendant la randonnée
3 Gélinottes huppés, 14 Moucherolles à ventre jaune, 15 Troglodytes mignon, 14 Roitelets à couronne dorée, 10 Grives à dos olive, 7 Grives solitaires, 19 Parulines à joues grises, 14 Parulines à tête cendrée, 21 Parulines bleues, 22 Parulines à croupion jaune, 19 Parulines à gorge noire, 25 Parulines rayées, 16 Parulines noir et blanc, 2 Parulines flamboyantes, 7 Parulines couronnées, 22 Parulines du Canada, 21 Bruants à gorge blanche, 22 Juncos ardoisés, 3 Cardinaux à poitrine rose, 1 Roselin pourpré
Étrangement, aucune mésange. Ces observations sont à 98% des observations auditives - Richard Guillet

Bird Protection Quebec's Field Trip Report for Saturday June 20th

RIGAUD MOUNTAIN AREA SUMMER SOLSTICE TRIP

15 birders attended yesterday's Summer Solstice outing on Rigaud Mountain hearing or seeing a total of 54 species. Many participants arrived before the scheduled early morning start of 5:30 a.m. so the leaders are discussing whether this is a sign that maybe we can start even EARLIER next year!!!!!!!

Cloudy skies prevailed through the morning with temperatures eventually reaching 20C. A light breeze was evident only in the few open areas we visited.Mosquitoes were present but certainly not in the numbers one might expect given the time of year, humid weather conditions and habitat.

The group birded the woodland trails of the south west section of "L'escapade -Les Sentiers du Mont Rigaud" which are well maintained. We did have to make a detour around one section of a "spur" trail for about 200m by "bush-whacking" through undergrowth but a very cooperative singing Mourning Warbler helped mark the correct path for us! This bird (and a half dozen others of his species) was voted bird of the day as he was a lifer for some and definitely among the best and most prolonged views many others have had of this normally more secretive species.

The detour was well worth the effort as it led to a small great blue heronry with a dozen or more young birds occasionally being fed by several adults in attendance. Great views. A "posing" black-billed cuckoo with a mouthful of caterpillars seen by most of the group was another highlight making the side trip and detour to the small lake very worthwhile.

When we gathered back at the main trail Pauline spotted a pileated woodpecker through the trees and this eventually led to one of our other highlights of the trip, an active pileated nest right over our heads with adults feeding at least 2 young birds. The nest tree had several other large holes in it which led to a,discussion of whether or not these were connected and could serve as escape routes from predators.

The trip finished up at 11:00 a.m. with the traditional count taking place in the parking lot of the "Sucrerie de la Montagne."

Our complete list of 54 species includes: Wood Duck – 2, Great Blue Heron – 15, Mourning Dove – 3, Black-billed cuckoo -1, Belted Kingfisher – 1, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 25, Downy Woodpecker – 2, Hairy Woodpecker – 2, Northern Flicker – 5, Pileated Woodpecker - 4 (Includes 2 young in nest), Eastern Wood-Pewee – 6, Alder Flycatcher – 1, Least Flycatcher – 2, Eastern Phoebe – 3, Great-crested Flycatcher – 2, Eastern Kingbird – 1, Warbling Vereo – 1, Red-eyed Vereo – 10, Blue Jay – 3, American Crow – 10, Tree Swallow – 1, Black-capped Chickadee – 6, White-breasted Nuthatch – 2, Veery – 25, Hermit Thrush – 5, Wood Thrush – 3, American Robin – 7, Gray Catbird – 2, European Starling – 6, Cedar Waxwing – 20, Yellow Warbler – 1, Chestnut-sided Warbler – 16, Black-throated Blue Warbler – 8, Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1, Black-throated Green Warbler – 12, Black-and-White Warbler – 1, American Redstart – 1, Ovenbird – 20, Northern Waterthrush – 2, Mourning Warbler – 7, Common Yellowthroat – 4, Scarlet Tanager – 6, Chipping Sparrow – 4, Song Sparrow -10, Swamp Sparrow – 2, White-throated Sparrow – 6, Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 8, Indigo Bunting – 6, Red-winged blackbird – 10, Common Grackle – 6, Brown-headed Cowbird – 2, Baltimore Oriole – 3, Purple Finch – 1, American Goldfinch – 15
Canard branchu, Grand Héron, Tourterelle triste, Coulicou à bec noir, Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique, Pic maculé, Pic mineur, Pic chevelu, Pic flamboyant, Grand Pic, Pioui de l'Est, Moucherolle des aulnes, Moucherolle tchébec, Moucherolle phébi, Tyran huppé, Tyran tritri, Viréo mélodieux, Viréo aux yeux rouges, Geai bleu, Corneille d'Amérique, Hirondelle bicolore, Mésange à tête noire, Sittelle à poitrine blanche, Grive fauve, Grive solitaire, Grive des bois, Merle d'Amérique, Moqueur chat, Étourneau sansonnet, Jaseur d'Amérique, Paruline jaune, Paruline à flancs marron, Paruline flamboyante, Paruline Bleu, Paruline à croupion jaune, Paruline à gorge noire, Paruline noir et blanc, Paruline flamboyante, Paruline couronnée, Paruline des ruisseaux, Paruline triste, Paruline masque, Tangara écarlate, Bruant familier, Bruant chanteur, Bruant des marais, Bruant à gorge blanche, Cardinal à poitrine rose, Passerin indigo, Carouge à epaulettes, Quiscale bronze, Vacher à tête brune, Oriole de Baltimore, Roselin pourpré, Chardonneret jaune

Thanks to Lance for helping decipher some of the various Rigaud Mountain dialects our birds seem to have had. Many thanks to all who pulled themselves out of bed so early to take part in an enjoyable outing. Good birds, good company, good conversation. (Only bird atlassers could come up with a potential bumper sticker phrase such as "Fecal sacks are better than copulation!")

Sheldon's "Summer Series of Birding" trips will should begin soon. Destinations to be made by Thursday on a week to week basis.

Martin and Wayne

Sightings for Friday June 19th

Montreal: Northern Mockingbird seen at the Tim Horton's corner of Ray-Lawson & Henri-Bourassa
Moqueur polyglotte était bien visible au Tim-Horton, au coin de Ray-Lawson et Henri-Bourassa - André Provost

Sightings for Tuesday June 16th

Montréal: Northern mockingbird - rue Notre-Dame south side a little east of Monarque ave.
Moqueur polyglotte perché sur le fil barbelé sur la rue Notre-Dame à Montréal-Est ce matin. L'oiseau était du côté sud, un peu à l'est de l'avenue Monarque - Eve Bélisle

Sightings for Friday June 12th

Philipsburg, avenue Champlain: Black-billed cuckoos - un couple de Coulicou à bec noir - Jean-Guy Papineau

Sightings for Wednesday June 10th

North Hatley, rte143 près du (near)Chemin Sherbrooke: Black-billed cuckoo (Coulicou à bec noir - Serge Beaudette

Montréal: 8 Turkey vultures over the Metropolitain autoroute at Papineau
8 urubus qui tournoyaient au dessus de l'autoroute metropolitaine, à la hauteur de Papineau - Eve Bélisle

Tadoussac: Northern mockingbird near the big church
Moqueur polyglotte près de la grande église - Renaud Pintiaux